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10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Get At McDonald’s
When it comes to McDonald’s, we like to think that we already know everything there is to know. Whether it’s the history, the food offered, or even the “hacks,” there are no secrets. But, apparently, not everything at McD’s is an open book. So here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Get At McDonald’s.
10. Birthday Cake
Who has ever celebrated a birthday at McDonald’s? Spending the day at the PlayPlace playground with your friends and then stopping only for a brief second every once in a while, just to grab a bite or two of your McNuggets. Ahh, the good old days. However, you always had to bring your own cake, as McD’s didn’t offer any – or so you thought. Turns out, you can get a birthday cake at McDonald’s, and all you have to do to get it is ask! A TikTok user recently shed some light on the subject, revealing her secret menu order of a Ronald McDonald Birthday Cake at a McDonald’s in Omaha. In the video, user @kayrock93 is seen buying and unboxing a cake. People were shocked. Even die-hard fans had no clue this was even possible. The birthday treat consists of chocolate cake with white, vanilla icing, some red decorative swirls, and a printed picture of Ronald McDonald juggling on top. This simple, rectangular cake comes in a box and is frozen, so you’ll have to let it thaw out a bit before putting your birthday candles on it. There is no information whatsoever about the cake on the McDonald’s website, which seems to be a secret specialty item. The only catch is, the availability and offering of this cake seems to vary from one location to the next, so your local McD’s might not carry this delicious cake. But, even if it does, with the TikTok video going viral, chances are, the Ronald cake might sell out real quick.
9. McStuffins
Imagine being able to get Hot Pockets at McDonald’s. Doesn’t this sound more like a dream than reality? Today it might be, but back in the 1990s, that dream was very much alive – and very delicious. For a very limited time, you could get the Mcstuffins, which were stuffed bread sandwiches that came in various flavors like chicken teriyaki and Pepperoni Pizza. Stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, and marinara sauce, the McStuffins were baked fresh every day and were advertised as being “a secret item” that got out, and now everyone would know how great they were. Despite a few commercials to prove their existence, these mysterious little pizza pockets were not widely popular, and not a lot of people knew these were even a thing. Even though they sound like they would be a certain hit today, they didn’t last very long on the menu, and they were pulled soon after they came out. Maybe it was because of their unappetizing name, but people did not seem to want to go anywhere near the McStuffins. Therefore, due to poor sales, they were forced to retire. The demand for real Hot Pockets was gaining traction during those years, so perhaps it was more a question of timing rather than taste. Either way, McDonald’s never tried to market anything like these again. Maybe they should. Maybe today, we would appreciate them more.
8. McNoodles
If you had to guess anywhere in the world where McDonald’s was serving up tasty bowls of stir-fry with noodles and vegetables, where would it be? Probably somewhere in Asia, right? Well, turns out, the mastermind behind this particularly tasty offering was none other than McD’s in Austria! Surprising, yes, but disappointing? Not in the least. Stir-fried noodles were crazy popular in Austria for a while, leading to a major trend in “noodle boxes.” So McDonald’s seized on the opportunity and created their own version of the increasingly popular dish. Back in 2012, McDonald’s Austria spent over 18 months trying to develop the best Asian-inspired dish to serve at its restaurants for a limited-time test. That’s when they came up with the McNoodles. It was a bowl of noodles topped with chicken and vegetables with a sauce of your choosing. You could get either the sweet-and-sour or curry sauce, along with some added ingredients from Thailand. The McNoodles were available for around three months at Austria’s 179 McDonald’s locations and were really well received by customers. After almost two years spent in development, this noodle dish must have been exceptionally delicious. McDonald’s Austria even milked the Asian trend further by serving bubble tea during the previous summer. All we can do is hope McDonald’s still has the recipe and decides to test out these yummy noodles again – this time a little closer to home.
7. McFloat
Ice cream floats are arguably one of the best summertime drinks. There’s nothing quite like the taste of ice cream mixed with bubbly soda to quench your thirst on a hot day. Even though McDonald’s likes to stay on top of trends and keep up with customer demands, there is no McFloat on our McDonald’s menus. Why not? McD’s has both soda and ice cream, so where’s the harm in trying to market one? While technically, you could always order these two items separately and make one yourself, there are a few McDonald’s where you can save all the trouble and order one by name. At McDonald’s locations in Hong Kong, the creamy soft-serve is put on top of the soda for you and it’s known as the McFloat. Other countries like India also enjoy this treat freely, where it’s popularly known as the Coke McFloat – as ice cream tops off a medium or large glass of Coke. In the Philipines, it’s the McFloat Rainbow Medley that really gets people going. There, you can get the McFloat in Green Apple, Melon, Strawberry, and even Lychee. For a brief moment, the McFloat actually made its way to America, and we were blessed with the combo of Dr. Pepper and soft serve. If this sounds like something you’d want to try, now you know that you can make it happen no matter where in the world you are. You just need to ask for any soda and a scoop of ice cream on the side, and voila!
6. Chicken McDo
It seems like the Philipines has a lot of interesting and delicious McDonald’s items that we can only admire from a distance. First the McFloat, and now, the Chicken McDo. But, what is the Chicken McDo, exactly? It’s a value meal with fried chicken and spaghetti. No, you didn’t just step into a KFC or an Italian restaurant, McDonald’s actually sells fried chicken in the Philippines. Also, remember that weird period when McD’s offered spaghetti on the menu? Yea, that idea faded fast. Well, the spaghetti served in the Philippines stuck around and people love it. This strange food combination is all about feeding a craving for both fried goodness and tomato pasta. It is incredibly popular in the Philippines, and for good reason. It combines two classics into one tasty meal, which pretty much sounds like a win-win situation. You can always get the same crispy fried chicken with some rice, but why would you when you can get some McSpaghetti with red sauce topped with cheese instead? Chicken McDo has become a classic McDonald’s menu choice in the Philippines, and we wouldn’t say no to a permanent spot on our menus. Sadly, since McDonald’s spaghetti already failed in North America once before, it’s rather unlikely that we will ever get to try out this dish – at least, not without traveling a little.
5. McShrimp
Everyone can agree that the fries at McDonald’s are beyond tasty. They’re the perfect side for literally anything on the menu, even a McFlurry. And, chances are, you’ve probably found yourself at some point or another only ordering fries and nothing else. They’re so good they’re almost impossible to resist! But, how would you feel if you knew that in Russia, you can order another type of side dish to accompany your lonely Big Mac? That’s right, you can get a side of breaded shrimp as an alternative to those fries. Fried to a golden crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, the McShrimp sounds like an exquisite side dish. Instead of the traditional seafood sauce, it’s served with a 1000 island dressing as a dipping sauce. It comes in four, six, or nine shrimp servings, depending on your appetite. It’s a wonder why fast-food shrimp isn’t a thing in America yet because, to be honest, it sounds like something that would be a huge hit just about anywhere. In Russia, however, they seemed to have jumped on the shrimp bandwagon with other items – like the Shrimp Roll, which is similar to a chicken McWrap, and includes a crispy breaded shrimp wrapped in a tortilla filled with Iceberg lettuce, onions, and a special sauce. Despite mixed reviews on the McShrimp, it still sounds like something we could get on board with.
4. McChoco Potato
Speaking of McDonald’s iconic french fries – what if, you didn’t want to replace them, but just add a little bit of extra flavor? Usually, when you want to do so, you dip them in ketchup, mayo, or even in one of McD’s nugget dipping sauces, and leave it at that. You can even ask for them, with or without salt, to mix things up a bit. However, if you’re in Japan, there’s something even fancier and more kooky you can do with your fries, and that’s adding some sweetness in the form of the McChoco Potato. This special dish is a serving of fries that comes with chocolate and white chocolate fudge sauce. At first, it might not sound like the tastiest combination ever, but when you think about it, it pretty much sounds like the ultimate sweet and salty snack. A hot, salty, crispy handful of fries with a generous amount of chocolate drizzled on top? Sign us up! You no longer need to resort to boring, old ketchup to enjoy your fries the right way. The McChoco Potato is literal proof that you can put chocolate on just about anything, and it’ll still be delicious. These were available for a limited time only, but that doesn’t mean that they will never reach the US market. Perhaps, one day, we will get to experience everything that’s good about the McChoco Potato.
3. All Kinds Of McFlurry
The McFlurry has been a staple on the McDonald’s menu for decades. Here in America, ordering a McFlurry with Oreos is considered the “classic order” – dare we even say the “superior order.” However, did you know that if you crossed a few borders, you can get some pretty wild McFlurry flavors? Ones you never even knew existed? For instance, in Australia and New Zealand, you can get the Bubblegum Squash McFlurry, a colorful soft serve ice cream blended with marshmallows and bubblegum-flavored syrup. Across the border in Canada and across the pond in the UK, you can reinvent what Easter means to you with a Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry. The signature vanilla soft serve is topped with egg fondant sauce and chocolate pieces, and it tastes just like the real thing. If you travel a little further, in Malaysia, you can get a Mango McFlurry. The best part about this particular one? It also comes with Oreos! So it’s kind of like a 2 for 1 McFlurry. Sweet, juicy mango and chocolatey Oreo bits, swirled into the ice cream. Can you get much better than that? Finally, if you’re in Denmark or Sweden, you would be one of the lucky ones able to order a Toblerone McFlurry – which features the iconic nougat and honey-flavored triangular chocolate bar. Your regular Oreo McFlurry seems kind of bland right about now, doesn’t it?
2. Corn Pie
When you want to satisfy your sweet tooth at McD’s, you usually go for an apple pie – or the occasional cherry pie. They’re always hot, crispy, and delicious. While here, we order an apple pie to top of that Big Mac combo, in other countries, Mickey D’s is serving up corn pie. In places like Thailand, this dessert consists of a sweet, salty, and creamy corn filling inside the signature apple pie shell. It was so popular that it was also eventually launched in South Korea, and it became a classic dessert over there, too. If you go to China, you can get a Taro pie – a neon-colored root vegetable popular in Asian cuisine. This particular pie is available in multiple countries, as it is a very widespread type of dessert. In Pakistan, it’s the Blueberry Custard Pie that piqued our interest the most. Mainly because it was fried, and we don’t get fried pies at our McDonald’s – at least not anymore. And, last but not least, if you like your pies a little bit more on the salty side, you can go to Japan and get a Bacon and Potato pie, which sounds like Japan’s take on American fast food. No matter what kind of pie you like, McD’s is bound to have at least one just for you, somewhere in the world, you just have to find it!
1. Salmon Beef Burger
The combination of surf ‘n turf is yet another classic flavor that traditionally goes pretty well together. You don’t need to choose between seafood and steak, you can get both on the same plate. Why this combo hasn’t morphed into a scaled down fast-food menu item is a mystery, but we do know for sure that one place in the world had the chance to see what it was like. Previously, the Salmon Beef Burger was offered on McDonald’s menus in South Korea, and it was apparently divine. It came with a 100% beef patty as well as a salmon patty, and was topped with lettuce, onion, and tartar sauce, to create the perfect mix of sea and land. However, if you were hoping to get your hands on one, you’re out of luck as this tasty creation was discontinued. But, another burger came to the rescue and took its place, the Shrimp and Beef Burger. It’s basically the same as its predecessor, only with a fried shrimp patty instead of salmon, as well as all the normal burger fixings. Hopefully, one of them will end up at our local McDonald’s, and we can finally stop hesitating between the Filet-O-Fish and a Big Mac.
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